Dress and Tie
by sweetstrawberrysmiles
Summary: songfic on charlene kaye and Darren criss' 'dress and tie' kataang post sozins comet  first avatar fic, please enjoy!R&R ONESHOT-for now


hey everyone! ite eternalhappieness!

ive had this one stored away on my USB for a while, i was waiting to get it beta'ed, but i think my beta is super busy at the moment, so im putting this up now, and ill repost it when beta'ed.

**katara singing**

**Aang singing**

_**katara and Aang singing**_

_flashback_

**_flashback within a flashback_**

hope that makes things_ less_ confuseing!

disclaimer:dont own a thing;song belongs to charlene kaye and darren criss.

enjoy! :)

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><p>It was almost midnight ,and rain poured heavaliy on the city of Ba Sing Se, thretaning the city with floods. A seedy tavern on the outskirts of the outer ring, usually quiet and empty, was alive and full of excitement. Perhaps it was this, or the rain, or even fates hand that pushed a young man toward the tavern all showed in the darkness of his deep grey cloak. He pushed the doors open, fining an ordiary scene; lots of men drinking, talking and being rowdy in general. He dodged two men engaged in a brawl, and sat down at the bar by a perky young bar tender.<br>"hey there stranger! Care for a drink?" The tag on her breast read 'Rika' and the sparkle in her eye said that she had seen many of his type before  
>"Give me some of the strongest stuff you've got." His small voice was almost inaudible abouve the rowdy tavern, but Rikas ear was as sharp as her eye.<br>"Alright, one vodka shot for the mysterious gentleman." She turned around to get the bottle, her thick honey locks almost flicking him in the head.  
>"So, is this your first time in ba sing se?"<br>"No, ive been here before, but I left a while ago. I just got back."  
>"Well, your in for a teart. One of the best singers-and benders in the city is doing open duets! Say, you wanna sign up?"<br>"Sure. Put me under 'mystery man'." He downed the shot, cringing slightly.  
>"Whos the singer?"<br>"Oh, just a friend of my cousin. Anyway,we're about to start, so look alive." She walked around the bench and pushed her way thought the crowd to a small stage at the back and grabbed a mic from the left stand.  
>"Hey,hey,hey! How are yall doing tonight?" the tavern echoed with cheers as the men downed their drinks with anticipation.<br>"Are yall ready for the main event?" another round of cheers followed, and the young man in the grey cloak turned to see what the commotion was about.  
>"Here she is- blue kat!" she gestured to a door to the left of the stage which swung open for a girl. She had long dark brown wavy hair, let loose in curly trendles. Her skin was a dark bronze, indicateing she had spent long hours in the sun, honeing her skill (whatever it may be ;D). she has a slim figure, outlined by the blue quarter-slever dress with a long slit up the right leg that she wore, and her heart-shape face was framed by 2 distinctive hair loopies. But it was her eyes that struck the boy hardest, those sapphire orbs, so deep with emotion, yet so light and intelligent, he could recdonise those eyes anywhere. It was her.<br>"Katara…." Rika fought above the wolf whistles and howls to quiten down the lowd tavern.  
>"Alright, alright, alright,alright, hush up yall and let the woman speak!" Blue Kat (Katara) stepped forward.<br>"Hello everyone! Whats up?" the men cheered once more, and Rika slipped from the stage back to behind the bar by the man in the dark cloak.  
>"Isn't that-"<br>"Katara of the water tribe, water bending master and teacher of avatar Aang? Yeah, im a cousin of her sister in law, suki. Suki owed me a favor, so I asked her to sing, but I didn't know that she sounded like a dieing hogmonkey, so she suggested Katara and shes been comeing every couple of days since. Now get up there, shes calling you!" his head whipped from the perky bar owner/tender to the water tribe princess onstage, unsurely calling the alias he had picked for himself.  
>"Uhhh…mystery man?come on down!" the man sighed, pushed himself from his stook and eaved though the crowd of older men, all anticipateing a great performance.<br>"So what do you want to sing?" he made a very obvious shrug and shuffled to stand at the left mic little ways from where she was standing.  
>"So your gonna be like that, huh?" she sighed, then whispered to the young dj, sitting unoticed behind the load of sound system supplies. He nodded and put on his headphones, waiting for the cue to start.<br>"I picked a song if that's alight with you;the little moitor there will show you the words." She pointed to a small screen at the edge of the stage, then gestured for the Dj to hit 'play'. The tavern instantly quietend at the intro music began to play, and 'Blue Kat' took her place at the front of the mic.

**Every night I walk, the streets**

**Never dreaming what could happen**

**Sad and so lonely,**

**I saw in the mirror my reflection**

**Stareing back at me**

**Will I ever find what I need?**

In her pause the tavern eruped with cheers and the man in the cloak turnred to her with surprise (thought no one could really see that)she blushed lightly, and it was then he noticed the dark blue choaker neakalace haging on her neck, the pale blue pendant glistening in the spotlights harsh glare.

**But ill wear the dress if you wear the tie **

**And baby we'll dance through the night**

'**cause no ones got what we've got going**

**Happieness never held onto me**

**Until you helped me see**

**That together we're just better off!**

**Ohhh…**

The man glanced down an noticed that it was his turn to sing. Everyone held their breath slightly, waiting to hear the mysterious stranger sing.

**Oh my hearts been tried, **

**time and again**

**I always thought that it was me but**

**I see now just ho wrong I was **

**No, I haven't known you for a lifetime**

**But somehow ive never been more sure**

**That your for me**

**Oh baby, please don't leave,**

**Just come and dance with me tonight!**

The room fell scilent as he sung, but when he was dragging the 'tonight' the room burst into cheers, everyone thinking the same thing- _'wow, this guy is amazing!'_

_**But ill wear the dress if you wear the tie**_

_**And baby we'll dance through the night**_

'_**cause no ones got what we've got going**_

_**Happieness never held onto me**_

_**Until you helped me see**_

_**That together we're just better off**_

Their voices harmonized beautifully, and Katara desciritely peered into the cloaked mans hood, trying to catch a glimps of the face inside.

**Don't be crule to me**

**Oh, ive wanted more**

**But ive been wrong before**

As they got further and further into the song, Katara go increcingly suspicious of the man she was singing with. '_he sounds so much like him…but he left 2 years ago, it couldn't be!'_

**So much learning to lose**

**But your not a day too soon**

_**So say you feel the same and **_

_**We'll never be lonely anymore**_

He reached up the grip the mic, and alittle of his sleve fell down revileing abit of the mystery mans hand and solidifying Kataras suspitions. The hand looked strong and masculine, nothing out of the ordinary, but beneath the sleve, Katara swore she saw sky blue pokeing out.

_**But ill wear the dress if you wear the tie **_

_**And baby we'll dance through night**_

_**Cuz no ones got what we've got going**_

_**Happieness never held onto me**_

_**Until you helped me see**_

_**That together we're just better off**_

All the people in the tavern began to clap with the music, everyone thourghly enjoying the nights performance.

_**Ill wear the dress If you wear that tie**_

_**And baby we'll dance thought the night**_

_**Cuz no ones got what we've got going**_

_**Happieness never held onto me **_

_**Until you helped me see**_

_**That together we're just better off!**_

The steady clap died down as they approached the end of the song, everyone mesmerized by the perfect harmony of their voices, inclueing them.

**Ill wear that dress**

**And ill wear that tie**

_**And we'll just dance though the ryme **_

_**Tonight**_

_**Tonight**_

**Tonight**

A pregnant scilence filled the tavern as the last notes died down, followed by a wave of clapping, cheers and showts. The two singer where pulled from the stage into the crowd, surrounded by tipsy men slurring how 'amazing' their performance was. The man in the tick cloak accepted graciously and sealthy slipped though the crowd. He almost made it to the door when a particularly large (super) drunk man reached around his neck and pulled him to a headlock.  
>"Hey,there,bbaaaabbbby *burp*! That wassssss SOOOMME performanceeeee! Whoooooooooo aaaaaarre yoouuuuu,aaaannyywayy?" he gave a short peal of laughter, pushing the mans hood off dispite his protests.<p>

* * *

><p>The whole room fell scilent. Everyones eyes were on the 'mystery man', whose hood had been pulled back to revile a shiny skyblue arrow on a bald head and a pair of guilty-looking panicy dull silver eyes.<br>"Aang?" kataras soft voice broke the silence, and aang fled the scene, breaking out of the buff looking mans losend grip and making a beeline for the door.  
>"Aang, wait!" the crowd split as she rushed to the door, eager to reach the young tavern was quite, everyone schocked at the spectial they had just witnessed;until rika spoke up.<br>"well I'll be!A master waterbender and the avatar in my tavern! And I thought suki was famous!" the ice-breaker was successful;the whole taern erupted with laughter, and they all returned to their ordinar business, everyone wondering what had gone down between Aang and Katara.  
>"Aang, wait!" Katara pushed the door open, chasing after the man.<br>"AANG YOU STOP RIGHT THERE OR SO HELP ME!" he froze in place, afraid to turn but also afraid to made slow steps towards him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder when she got close enough.  
>"Aang?"<br>"Hi Katara…" the deepness of his voice gave light to all the changes thathad occurred in him; he was taller now, he towered atleast a head over her,his form was strong and masculine under the thick cloak the he had shed during his failed escape. He wore brown pants and a kimono-style top with yellow borders. \  
>"Aang…" his dull siver eyes trembles, drinking in the sight of her after 2 long years.<br>"Katara.."  
>"its been 2 years."<br>"yeah. How have you been?" kataras face turned from a soft relief/disbelief to a hard anger.  
>"how have I been? HOW HAVE I BEEN? You want to know have I been? IVE BEEN HORRIBLE, AANG! I COME HOME ONE DAY AND YOUR JUST GONE?I LOOKE FOR <span>6 MONTS ON FOOT<span> AND YOU'VE JUST VANISHED? WIPED CLEAN FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH? THEN YOU SEND SCROLLS FO TOPH (one of the new goveners of ba-sing-se), ZUKO (the fire lord)AND DAD (chief of the water tribe) BUT NOT TO ME?YOUR GIRLFRIEND? THE GIRL WHO LOVED YOU? WHO STILL LOVES YOU?I CANT BELIVE YOU DISAPPEARED TO GOD-KNOWS-WHERE FOR 2 YEARS AND JUST AS IVE ACCEPTED THAT YOUR GONE YOU SHOW UP AT SOME SEEDY EARTHKINGDON TAVERN [there was a small 'hey' in the background, not that aang could hear anything over Katara screaming{this bit it optional-Im not sure if I should leave it in]SINGING LIKE THAT AND THEN YOU ASK ME HOW IVE BEEN? HOW DO YOU THINK IVE BEEN?" she sobbed loudly, tears mingleing with the rain that was pouring buckets on the two.  
>"Katara…" he reached around to hug her, but she slapped him, the sound resonating though the quite streets.<br>"don't you DARE touch me. Now all I want to know is why you left;and what your doing here in the middle of the night, then you welcome to disappear again." The turned away from him, crossing her arms and bitterly waiting for an answer.  
>"you wanna know why I left?"<p>

_[flashback-2 years ago]_

"_Aang! Toph!Sokka!Suki! me and zuko are going out for abit!" Katara called though the lively apartment In the upper ring as she shut the front door, leaving the rest of 'team avatar' in the lounge and dioning rooms.  
><em>_ "shes going out with zuko AGAIN? That's 4 days in a row!" sokka stuffed a mini apple pie into his mouth,following it down with half a glass of milk.  
><em>_"yeah!youd better be carefull, twinkle toes, 'sifu hotman' might just steal sugarqueen away from you!" she gave a peal of hearty laughter and bumped fists with sokka(both of which being in the dineing room).mai was back in the fire nation for her little brother birthday, and zuko had been spening every day since she had left with Katara.  
><em>_"do you guys really think so?" he stopped teasing momo with an airball and stroded worriedly into the dineing room to confront toph and zuko.  
><em>_"do you really think she would betray me like that?"  
><em>_"oh, for sure, I mea-"  
><em>_"sokka!" suki scolded the watertribe warrior_ "don't listen to them, Aang." _She punched sokka in the arm, and swiped the mini apple pie he was eyeing. The swords master huffled angrily, grabbing the nearest pie and taking a generous bite out of it.  
><em>_"their just teasing. Katara would __NEVER __do that to you, right guys?" sokkas smart-alec comment was silenced by a glare from suki, and toph just shrugged absentmindedly.  
><em>_"okay…" Aang twitched nervously with the sleves of his robe.  
><em>_"oh Aang, relax! This is __Katara __we're talking about! She wouldn't do that to you! Shes probably helping zuko pick something out fo mai, that's all! Don't you trust her?" the older girl shot him a quizzical look and pushed a mini apple pie his way.  
><em>_"of course I do!" she walked around the table and patted him on the shoulder. "  
><em>_then youll have nothing to be worried about." She set a glass of milk beside the pie, smileing reasuredly. Aang nodded and took a hesitant bite._

* * *

><p><em>For the nest 10 minutes, Aang sat around the apartment, fidgeting nervously to himself. He put away all the paisties that had been delived from the palacae bakery ,washed all the dishes and cups and teased momo.<br>__"AANG! We're out of soap! Can you do to the outer ring and get some more?"  
>"kay!" suki had become like Aangs surrogate sister, and he had quickly learned that dispite being a strong kiyoshi warrior who had spent any hours perfecting her skill, suki had a weakness for organic homemade soaps. Usually Aang would sigh with irritaton, but today he was just glad to have an excuse to get out of the grabbed his authentic airnation glider (he had traded in the one the mechanist had given him for an antique one given to him by a kind professer at ba sing se university)and sailed out of the window, over the inner and middle rings, and into a small ally in the outer up a rice paddy hat from one of the crates outlineing the ally, he tied it to his head, pulling it over his arrow and with that, the worlds last airbender walked into the busy marketplace.<em>

* * *

><p>"<em>thank you very much!" Aang handed the old vendor a handful of copper coins and took the bag of organic pomegrantie soap. He headed back to the ally, ready to head back to the inner ring when he caught sight of a familiar head od hair<br>"Katara? She must still be uot with zuko…  
><em>_**{flashback within a flashback} "shes going out with zuko AGAIN? That's 4 days in a row!" sokka stuffed a mini apple pie into his mouth,following it down with half a glass of milk."yeah!youd better be carefull, twinkle toes, 'sifu hotman' might just steal sugarqueen away from you!" she gave a peal of hearty laughter and bumped fists with sokka.{end flashback}**__  
>"perhaps I should follow them, just to be sure…" Aang pulled the triangular hat over his head and mixed into the crowd. He spent the rest of the day tailing them, then as the sun began to set, he followed them to a small fountain in the heart of the outer ring, all lit up with lanterns-and as aang watched, zuko got down on one knee, and presented a red betrothal necalace to her. Katara squeeled and jumped at him, arms wrapping around his neck as she fell atop of him. Aang backed away, tears falling from his face, he dropped the bag of soap and the rice paddy hat, and ran away.<em>

_{end flashback}_

"after I left ba-sing-se, I went back to the southern air temple, and buried my people. No matter how much I was hurting, im still the avatar, so I went to the nearest town and bought some hawks, and I continued my avatar duties from there." Aang turned away from Katara, ashamed of himself.  
>"I didn't want to interup your happieness with zuko, so I though it was best if I leave. I shouldn't even be here-im going. See you later, Katara." He began to run, presumably to where he had stashed appa. Katara stood, dumbfounded, at the fact that she had just found the one person she missed more than anything, and that she was letting him get away. She ran after him, tears flowinf;though changing nothing as the rain had soaked them both a long time ago.<br>"aang! Aang! No! please! Don't go! Please!" the water slushed around in her shoes and flattened down her normaly lively hair, but nothing mattered except finding aang. She chaced him from the tavern to the eastern gate stables, where appa was in a cozy pen, munching away on some hay. Sheran past the door, puffing heavily.  
>"aang! Aang! " at the speed she was going, it was too late to stop and she crashed into himsending them both sprawling to the ground. She landed on his chest,arms protectively encircling he waist. He relaised the scandalous position they were in, and let go of her, struggling to move.<br>"Katara, get off!: she slung to his neck for dear life.  
>"aang! Stop! Listen to me! Oh for the love of; WILL YOU STOP WRIGGLING AND LISTEN TO ME FOR A MOMENT?" her loud voice stunned him for a moment, and he stopped to listen with shamefull curiosity.<br>"Aang you airhead, zuko didn't perpose to me! I was going with him to get the betrothal necklace that he ordered, then we went around the city as he told me how he was gonna do it! What you saw was the practice run!"  
>"so your <span>NOT<span> engaged to zuko?"  
>"no on ANYONES life! Zuko is like sokka to me, only more mature! And plus, he asked mai to marry him almost a year ago! The wedding is about a month away!"<br>"oh my spirits, katara I am SOOO SORRY! I am such a MORON!" "she shot him a dirty look.  
>"you think? I cant belive you listened to my brother! You know better than that!" his eyes grew soft as he whispered , twirling a lock of her wet hair aound his finger.<br>"I already KNEW I wasn't good enough for you, and that most people think that zuko is better for you! I just though that any time with you would make me happy, and I was really cut when it ended."  
>"aang, that's silly! Who said that you and I arnt good together? Who?" aang paused for a moment, struggling to find a moment from the top of his head. "yeah, that's what I though. Aang, no one has the <span>right <span>to comment on who we love! Its NONE of their business! And anyway, what does it matter? So what if that's what they think (whomever THEY is, anyway)?"  
>"I just wanted the best for you;I was willing to accept that it wasn't me, I just wanted to leave you with someone who is."<br>"aang, your whats best for me! Not zuko, not haru, no one! Just you. And I don't understand what convinced you otherwise! I love YOU, aang. Only you." His eyes lit up at the last thing she said.  
>"You..love me? After everything?" her arms tightend around his neck, and she sighed into his chest.<br>"yes, you silly air boy. I love you. Welcome home." He craned his neck forward and planted a loving kiss on her forehead.  
>"good to be back." She rose her head and leaned forward, causeing their lips to meet halfway into a passionate kiss.<p>

* * *

><p>what do you think?<p>

this ones sorta epic, still waiting for the betaed version, so ill repost it when i get it!

please reveiw!:)

much love,

eternalhappieness :3


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